Leadership in the 21st Century

At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads others. But what makes someone a leader? What is it about being a leader that some people understand and use to their advantage? What can you do to be a leader? Here's what you need to know and do.

A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. Let's look at each of those in detail.

The Leader's Vision

A leader has a vision. Leaders see a problem that needs to be fixed or a goal that needs to be achieved. It may be something that no one else sees or simply something that no one else wants to tackle. Whatever it is, it is the focus of the leader's attention and they attack it with a single-minded determination.Whether the goal is to double the company's annual sales, develop a product that will solve a certain problem, or start a company that can achieve the leader's dream, the leader always has a clear target in mind.

This is a big picture sort of thing, not the process improvement that reduces errors by 2% but the new manufacturing process that completely eliminates the step that caused the errors. It is the new product that makes people say "why didn't I think of that", not just a toaster that lets you select the degree of darkness of the toast. Edison did not set out to build a better candle, he wanted to find a whole new way to illuminate the darkness. That's the kind of vision a leader has.

The Drive to See It Through

It is not enough to just have a vision. Lots of people see things that should be done, things that should be fixed, great step forward that could be taken. What makes leaders different is that they act. They take the steps to achieve their vision.

Is it a passion for the idea, an inner sense of drive, or some sense of commitment? Whatever it is, it is the strength that lets leaders move their vision forward despite all the obstacles, despite all the people saying it can't be done, it's too costly; we tried that before, or a dozen other excuses. The true leader perseveres and moves forward.

Trait and Skills a Leader Must Have

There are things that set leaders apart from other people. Some people are born with these characteristics. Others develop them as they improve as leaders. These are not magic bullets. They are things you can do and be if you want to be a leader.

Traits of a Leader

There are as many traits of a leader as there are lists of what makes a leader. Here are the fundamental traits of a leader from my perspective:

Has Integrity….. People have to believe that you are pursuing your dream because it's the right thing to do, not just because you are ego driven.

A People Person….Understands the differences that make people unique and is able to use those individual skills to achieve the goal.

Is Positive…. A leader encourages and rewards people. They make you want to do it and do it right. A leader is not a negative person and doesn't waste time/effort telling everyone what they're doing wrong.

Leadership Skills

Beyond the personal traits of a leader, there are specific skills someone must master if they want to be a leader.

Effective Communication - It's more than just being able to speak and write. A leader's communication must move people to work toward the goal the leader has chosen.

Motivation - A leader has to be able to motivate everyone to contribute. Each of us has different "buttons". A leader knows how to push the right buttons on everyone to make them really want to do their best to achieve the leader's goal.

Planning - The leader has a plan to achieve the goal. He/she doesn't get too bogged down in the details, that are what managers are for, but rather uses a high-level plan to keep everyone moving together toward the goal.

Bottom Line

Leaders dream dreams. They refuse to let anyone or anything get in the way of achieving those dreams. They are realistic but unrelenting. They are polite but insistent. They constantly and consistently drive forward toward their goal. You can be a leader. You will be - when it matters enough to you.

The Ubiquitous Cash Flow Problem

The last thing any small business needs is cash flow problems. Actually, any business for that matter. In a good economy it's bad. In a bad economy it  can be the kiss of death.  So if the recession has you scrambling to come up with money to pay your bills on time, then these four ways to cure cash flow problems quickly should come in handy.

Eliminate Unnecessary Business Expenses

Pull out your bank statements. Pull out your credit card statements. What expenses do you notice? For the biggest return on investment, look for recurring monthly expenses you can cut.

There are often multiple business tool subscriptions, newsletter subscriptions, and software subscriptions in every business. And probably 5% to 15% of these are no longer being used or serving their original purpose. Identify those and cancel them immediately.

Another easy way to cut costs is to replace expensive services with cheaper services. For instance, replace your land line phone with a paid Skype account. Or find a free open source solution to replace a paid solution. Once you start researching, you’ll be amazed by how many good, affordable services are available to you. (Just ask your social network if you need help getting started.)

Invoice Faster, Pay Bills Slower

When cash is flowing out faster than it’s coming in, you have to do whatever you can to reverse the trend. Because ultimately you want the cash flowing out slower than it’s coming in. One easy way to do this is to collect on invoices faster, then “float” your money.  So, for instance: If you normally invoice on Net 30 terms, see if you can get your clients to pay sooner. Give them a small discount for paying the full amount up front or within a shorter time frame, say 14 days. The faster you get paid, the better your cash flow will be. The second step of the process is to keep your money as long as possible. So that means you will want to try to delay paying your vendors. 

You can ask for terms or ask for an extension on a specific invoice. Or if you’d rather not negotiate with vendors, you might try paying with a credit card. By paying with a credit card, you will automatically have an extra 25-30 days to pay. (Just make sure you have enough cash to pay off the balance at the end of the billing cycle.)

Outsource Tasks that Are Not the Highest and Best Use of Your Time

If you’re doing data entry when you could be doing work valued at $1,000 an hour, then that’s contributing to your cash flow problems. You will never have time to work on your business if you’re always stuck doing menial work in your business. 

You need to focus all of your time on doing things that maximize the monetary value of your skills. Any task that falls outside of your highest-value skill set should be outsourced to a reliable freelance worker. For instance, if you’re a solo entrepreneur, you might hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) to take care of some of the mundane and tedious tasks you have to do on a regular basis. Or you might contract with a company to screen phone calls, take messages, and book appointments. This alone could conservatively save a couple hours a week — freeing you up to do the things that generate more revenue and more profit.

Don’t Let a Good Month Ruin Your Cash Flow

If you’ve ever had a really good month in business, then you know how exhilarating it can be. You know how tempting it can be to go out and buy that expensive thing you’ve been lusting for. Here’s a piece of advice: Don’t buy that thing. Keep your emotions in check.

Set aside some cash when times are good so you can easily weather the bad months that may (or may not) happen in the future. Unfortunately, this advice is not usually followed. Just look at the guys running big product launches. The influx of money causes them to do stupid things… like buy six-figure luxury sports cars and 10,000 square foot bachelor pads. This is a huge mistake. Because one good month does not a good year make. Past performance is no guarantee of future earnings. The economic conditions of today are not the economic conditions of tomorrow. Etc., etc., etc. If you become financially over-committed in your personal life, it can very quickly bring down your business. 

The most successful business men (and women) I’ve met are those who are willing to forgo a lavish lifestyle so they can make wise investments and keep their businesses running smoothly. Some of the wealthiest are also the most frugal. It’s the entrepreneurs who run lean operations — even when the cash flow is good — that survive tough times and achieve longevity in their respective markets.

Follow these four business optimization strategies… be intentional about implementing them in your business… and you’ll cure your cash flow problems quickly.

First to Thrive in the Cloud: SMBs

Many SMBs have their heads in the clouds and the rationale is becoming definitive. Cloud computing is changing how computer business apps and related services are fulfilled. With the onset of the cloud, essential aspects of every business like data management, content, and collaboration tools are delivered from the Internet rather than supported by locally installed software and servers.


For SMBs there are many compelling reasons to migrate to cloud-based applications, like the following:

• Scaling up or down on demand
• Outsourcing the expensive burden of maintaining your own servers and software
• Accessing data from anywhere and from any device
• Replacing heavy IT expenditures with predictable operational expenditures
• Focused strategies and execution managed from a centralized environment

Many businesses are already using the cloud and don’t even know it. Several services we take for granted such as WordPress, Gmail, Skype and GoToMeeing are cloud based. And the skies are just going to get cloudier. Harbingers of the future, VCs are insisting their startups stay lean and mean by using cloud services to test and build out business concepts as well as to scale the business.

Concerns about security aren’t putting much of a damper on the party. Cloud-based startups are predicted to number in the thousands over the next few years. Cloudy with a chance of cost savings. Depending on whether you want to make a wholesale move to the cloud or shift a few operations, there are several hot services designed specifically for SMB productivity.

For the small and medium sized businesses out there these are very exciting times. Although technology has always been a game changer, the stark realities of over-extended budgets and shrinking revenue streams are constant. Remember, you don't have to dive headfirst into total migration or radical paradigm shifts in the infrastructure of your organization. You may want to start off by analyzing the myriad of Cloud software and services out there. Some are even free. The following list should help start the process:

• Mozy.com  Data Storage
• Salesforce.com CRM
• DropBox.com File Storage
• SoSonlinebackup.com Data Backup
• Schedulicity.com Scheduling
• Outright.com Accounting
• Google Apps Full Suite of Business Tools

For questions about your business and successful integration into the cloud, please call Computech Data for a no cost analysis today. 760-469-9118

Reluctant SMB Market Left Behind?

A certain famous Beatle is letting go. According to CNET, Paul McCartney and MPL Communications, his own media company, has partnered with HP to archive his personal media library hosted by HP. McCartney’s library is supported by HP’s Converged Infrastructure solution, a system of storage, servers and networking, resting on a private cloud in HP’s datacenters. Though MPL Communications and McCartney may be a ringing celebrity endorsement for HP, other SMBs are not quick to jump on board with the public cloud. In a recent survey, the research firm In-Stat reported that 70% of the SMBs who are using cloud storage are coupling it with an on-site storage unit. Hence, they are not truly leveraging the cloud.

The innovator/laggards dichotomy is applicable here. Since cloud is still a relatively new concept, most firms are wary of the “bugs” – performance, security, control, etc. Thus, they want to wait until the technology is more mature. Reluctant SMBs are removing themselves from the innovators and early adopter category and placing themselves squarely in the position of being late majority or laggards.

One way to mitigate these worries (and to not get left behind) is to engage in a private cloud or a hybrid – a combination of a public and private cloud – to meet SMBs’ infrastructure needs. Nonetheless, the costs of a private cloud deployment can be outside an SMB’s budget. While public cloud has security and performance implications, private and hybrid clouds are equipped with financial barriers.

When will SMBs be ready to let go and migrate to a public cloud? Despite the reports, adoption may be sooner than expected. Cloud security providers are working around the clock to develop best in class solutions for prospects. Additionally, Intel’s unveiling of AppUp, a hybrid cloud solution aimed at SMBs, is an example of how major players are actively engaged in pushing SMBs to the cloud.

It’s just a matter of time before most firms will be ready to let go – like Paul did, of over one million personal photos, videos and music clips.

This article originated from http://wiredre.com which I recommend to any IT professional interested in the latest industry trends.

Chris Borowski